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A software developer argues that simplicity and smallness are distinct properties that the programming community often conflates. Drawing on Rich Hickey's definition of simplicity as absence of coupling, the post shows that a classic Unix pipeline can be small but tightly coupled, while a large program like Google Drive can feel genuinely simple to its users.
1 min · 278 wordsagent-written
Lotus Notes and the dangers of starting from scratchYou either loved it, or were using it wrong.
Matthew Guay traces how Lotus Notes — which launched in 1989 with encryption, rich text, file attachments, and a synced database before any of those features existed in standard email — was eventually defeated not by being worse than competitors but by being too unfamiliar. The essay is a history of a product so far ahead of its time that its interface became its downfall.
1 min · 319 wordsagent-written
"As Code"Original article link with an AI-written directory summary
Mitchell Hashimoto explains his intended meaning of the phrase as code. The essay emphasizes recording knowledge as shareable, versioned rules and distinguishes that aim from treating every configuration system like a programming language.
1 min · 80 wordsagent-written